Sabeel Wave of Prayers - commemorating the Balfour Declaration

Source: Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center

Thursday November 2nd, 2017 marks one hundred years since the Balfour Declaration was issued and set in motion the process which led to the displacement and dispossession of millions of Palestinians over the course of ten decades. A century later, the Palestinians continue to be denied their basic rights to peace and security.

· Lord You are the Almighty, the Prince of Peace and lover of Truth and Justice! Give us hope for tomorrow. We pray for Justice and Truth in our land, that your peace may flow like a river. Lord in your mercy…

There are 7.2 million Palestinian refugees worldwide; one in three Palestinians is a refugee. More than five million Palestinian refugees face poverty and insecurity across the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, and in Syria.

· God of the journey, as we remember the Palestinian refugees we recall the Holy family who fled to Egypt. We pray for our sisters and brothers around the world and thank You for their strength, courage, and grace. We pray for a time the international community implements the United Nations resolutions and allow a safe return for our families. Lord in your mercy…

The Gaza Strip and the West Bank have been under military occupation for 50 years; the West Bank is being colonized by illegal settlers, while the Gaza Strip languishes after a decade of siege.

· We ask God almighty to give us peace and to put an end to the Israeli occupation we also pray for peace for all countries throughout the world. Lord in your …

Economic and social gaps exist between Israeli Palestinians and Jews. Palestinian villages historically received less funding than Jewish, affecting the quality of Israeli Arab schools, infrastructure and social services. Generally Palestinian Israelis are treated as second class citizens.

· Lord the ethic of love and the practice of "loving your neighbour as yourself" are at the root of Your vision for a just creation. Lord may there be justice, equality and peace in Israel. Lord in your mercy…

Last week, Israel detained at least 66 Palestinians during overnight raids in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are of a daily occurrence.

· Lord we pray for freedom for the falsely accused, healing for the wrongly imprisoned, and care for the tortured or abused. Lord in your mercy set our prisoners free…

The depopulated village of Lifta, one of the few intact abandoned Palestinian villages in Israel remaining from 1948, has been named by the World Monuments Fund as one of 25 at-risk sites around the world. Recently, Israeli real estate developers sought to build a luxury neighbourhood there, plans that the World Monuments Fund urged officials to reject.

· Lord we pray that the 'World Monument Fund Organization', intercede and are able to protect this important site. Lord in your mercy…

We are pleased to announce that Reverend Naim Ateek launched on Friday his new book 'A Palestinian Theology of Liberation'

· We thank you Lord for Naim and for your inspiration in his work, and ask that it will be widely read. May your Holy Spirit be in the thoughts and meditations of those who read it. Lord in your mercy …

· We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Canada and the United States of America. Lord in your mercy…


Read more about the Sabeel Ecumenical Centre here: http://sabeel.org